Chasing Legend
by NilesDaughter
Summary: Ashlynn Mustang has resolved to join Edward and Alphonse Elric on their search for the Philosopher's Stone in hopes of restoring what she has lost. EdxOC. Follows plot of the first-series anime.
1. Prologue: Arrival in Resembool

Prologue: Arrival in Resembool

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Fullmetal Alchemist'.**

The girl opened her eyes to find a blazing sun directly above. She closed her eyes again, and tried to move. Every inch of her body was sore, and perhaps she even had a few gashes. Running water flowed over her legs, and hard stone was beneath her.

She groaned and clenched her fists. Or rather, she clenched her left fist. Her right automail limb did not respond. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

Looking around, she found herself on a rocky riverbank that ran through a thick forest. She struggled to her feet and looked down at her automail. It was rusted, and pretty banged up.

She tsked and looked around again. Perhaps if she followed the river, she could find a town, preferably one that had an automail mechanic. She followed the river, stumbling every so often over rocks that blocked her path. The riverbank smoothed out, the trees and rocks disappearing to reveal soft sand and grass. In the distance, she could make out buildings scattered about. Her shoulders slumped in relief, and she started for the town in the distance.

* * *

"Thank you," the girl thanked the two men in the field and started off down the dirt path.

She came across a building with a wooden sign outside. Automail Rockbell, just as the men had said. She went to the door and knocked. A dog's bark came from within, followed by a girl's voice reprimanding it.

"Hush, Den!"

The door opened. "Hello?" a young blonde girl, barely older than her, greeted her.

"Hi…" the girl replied shyly. "Um…" She gestured to her limp right arm. "I need a bit of maintenance."

"Oh! Sure! Come right on in!" The blonde opened the door wider and ushered her in. "Granny! We have a customer!" She turned to the girl. "I'm Winry, by the way."

Winry led her to the living room, and sat her down on the couch. She went away for a bit, and returned with tools and an elderly woman who introduced herself as Pinako. The two examined the girl's damaged automail, and soon approximated how long it would take for them to build her a new one. The girl graciously thanked them.

Pinako left to get a temporary arm for the girl. Winry began to clean up before she looked at her.

"What's your name?"

Brushing raven bangs out of her grey eyes, she replied, "Ash. Ash Mustang.


	2. Battle on the Train

Chapter One: Battle on the Train

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Fullmetal Alchemist'.**

Ash was bored out of her mind. It was bad enough that she had had to tag along with Falman and Hughes as they escorted General Hakuro to Central City, but to make it worse was the fact that she was at the switchboard, listening to Hughes prattle on and on about his wife. She knew her uncle, Colonel Roy Mustang, who was on the other line, would be just as irritated.

Apparently, her uncle had gotten to the point where he hung up, because Hughes began complaining about how "lousy" the phones were and how he "couldn't get anything done".

"You're the one we can't do anything with," Falman called from outside, practically pressing his face against the glass. He then went away, presumably to return to his station guarding the General's compartment.

Ash sighed and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes and trying to fight her irritation as Hughes contacted her uncle again.

"Roy, how would I handle it emotionally if Gracia were to have the baby tomorrow, do you think?"

There was a pause, and then she could hear Lieutenant Hawkeye's voice blaring through the phone line, something about babies not being able to be born after only five months. Ash couldn't help but smile, looking forward to the fact that she would be able to see her uncle and the Lieutenant once they got to Central.

"I'm sorry, I lost you…" Hughes frowned at the phone. "She really thinks I meant that seriously…?"

Finally, it appeared that Hughes had focused on the real reason they were on the train; a terrorist attack was probable during the journey. "Ash, you didn't see anyone suspicious while you went through the train, right?" he asked her.

"No, sir."

"Your niece didn't see anyone, Roy, but there's been a lot of boarding and unboarding since she last checked, so we should be careful…Especially if your intel's been confirmed…"

Another one of the phones rang.

"I'll get it," Ash offered, getting out of her seat. "Go ahead."

"There's a man on the train! He looks ready for a full assault!" Falman exclaimed.

"Weapons?" Ash prodded.

"None, but he was in full armor!"

"Armor…?"

Hughes listened to her uncle's line for a bit, then turned to her. "Tell Falman to check for a kid with the man in the armor. Your uncle says if there is, then they're both okay."

Ash relayed the information, and heard the other line click. She set the phone down, waiting for the Warrant Officer to call back with a confirmation.

After a few moments, instead of the expected sound of the phone ringing, there was gunfire a little further down the car. Ash leapt to her feet as Hughes pressed against the wall, a hand over the phone receiver. He then discreetly hung up and nodded to the window. Ash nodded her understanding and quickly and quietly climbed out, holding on to the train's exterior as the wind whipped past her. Hughes soon followed and closed the window, carefully peering into the compartment they had just left behind.

"It's the terrorists," he said to her.

She nodded and carefully made her way toward the rear of the train, Hughes following. At about the midway point, she climbed down to the door between two of the cars. Hughes was climbing down the ladder when there was a yell and several thumps. Ash looked up to see a blur of black and yellow land into Hughes' arm.

"You know, there's an art to train-walking," the Major teased. "Surprised you made it this far."

"Thanks, I think…"

"I'm Major Hughes, and this is Ash. You're Edward Elric, right?"

"Yeah, that's me…"

"Mustang told me a lot about you. I'm an old friend of his, and Ash here is his niece."

"The Lieutenant Colonel?" Edward seemed surprised.

"Yep, and he's always bragging about that promotion of his…Well, come on, you better come with us. It's going to take a bit of teamwork if we're going to get this train and its passengers to Central safely…"

The three of them got up on the roof of the train and made their way to the engine car. Edward leaned over and looked into one of the windows, making a face into it. Hughes and Ash then slipped into the opposite window, launching into an attack. Edward came in through his window, kicking one of the terrorists and knocking him to the floor. Before they could do anything else, the two brawny conductors finished beating up the terrorists.

"Thanks for the help," Ash got out before she watched Edward go out the window and up onto the roof.

However, there was a gunshot and he ducked back down. "Dammit, that was close…!"

"That idiot's gonna get himself killed…" Ash grumbled, climbing out of the opposite window. She assessed the general direction of the terrorist and prepared to draw a transmutation circle. However, there was a flash of blue alchemic light. She looked up to a see a small canon on the roof of the train, Edward behind it and firing off a shot.

_He's an alchemist, too…_

"Whoa, that was smooth…" Hughes remarked.

"Oi! Careful up there! That's the tender box!"

Ash joined Edward as he suddenly grinned. "What are you smirking about? You almost got shot!"

"I have an idea…Why the heck are you up here, anyway?"

She frowned. "I heard the first gunshot, so I came up to help. I wasn't aware that you were an alchemist, too…"

"'Too'…?" he echoed.

"Probationary State Alchemist," she said, pointing to herself. "Don't have an official license, but I'm still part of the military and go on missions so that I can practice my alchemy and eventually work my way toward one."

"But the Major said you're the Lieutenant Colonel's niece."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Just because I have connections doesn't mean I can automatically get accepted. So, what's your plan? In case you've forgotten, we have some terrorists to take care of."

He seemed to glare, but told her anyway.

"Great," she grinned. "I specialize in water alchemy."

Hughes joined them and agreed to wait on the side of the car so he could slip into it once the terrorists were washed out. Edward told them about his brother, still in the back of the train, and went off to tell him about the plan. When the blond returned, it wasn't long before they were ready. Edward transmuted a sort of two-way speaker into the car where the General, and the terrorists, were.

"Attention, all gun-toting extremists! You hear me all right? Or did you blow your ears out with target practice? Let the hostages go! You have no reason to be dragging these people into your personal politics!"

From the inside came a rough voice. "You're one of Mustang's secret agents, aren't you? If you interfere, I'll start killing the hostages, one by one!"

"You're just itching to draw blood, aren't you? Well, you asked for it." Edward transmuted then transmuted the pipe as Ash used her alchemy to momentarily freeze the water in the tender box. "Passengers, get ready for some turbulence," he said, nodding to her.

Ash used a different alchemic formula to unfreeze the water, and it rushed into the car, making it shake more than normal, some spilling out the windows. Hughes slipped in through one of the windows, as they had planned. There was gunfire, and Ash forward, dropping down into the car from the roof hatch.

"…Before I take care of General Hakuro, I'll be sure to get rid of you…"

"Get away from him!" Ash cried, running towards the terrorist at the same time Edward dropped down with a "You'll have to take care of me first!"

Since she and Edward had moved at the same time, the two each caught one of the man's hands, straining to keep him at bay. Edward glanced over at their opponent's left arm.

"Well, would you look at that…Two automailists, huh?"

Ash felt an uncomfortable shiver go down her spine, knowing that Edward hadn't yet seen her right arm…

"What the…! You're just brats! Don't tell me the military's dragging kids into their politics."

"You're gonna pay for the 'brat' comment…" Edward growled. "And I chose this path myself! No one's telling me to do anything!"

"Well, let me tell you two kids something. I used to be a part of this military, too. It was fine as long as I kept pissing on cue. But once I got this upgraded arm, they felt I was endangering my superiors, trying to be stronger than them. I was discharged after I got the procedure! Since then, I've gotten a taste for destroying the damn state whenever I can! You understand, don't you, boy? You have an arm like mine! You wanted to become stronger, too! You should know that the military will just get rid of you once you're not convenient!"

"I don't understand," Edward growled. "And don't you ever lump in my reasons for having this arm with yours!"

Edward then took the opportunity to squeeze down on their opponent's hand, automail crushing automail. At the same moment, Ash, who felt defensive about the military as it was, used the opportunity to bring her knee up and send the terrorist crumpling to the ground. Edward's brother then came up and brought his armored hand down on the terrorist's head, effectively knocking him out, and, hopefully, keeping him subdued until Central.

She helped tie up the terrorists before slipping into an empty compartment to change into her military uniform, knowing all-too-well that her uncle required her to wear it on base.

Once the train pulled into Central Station, Ash helped the other officers drag the now-bound terrorists onto the platform. Once she dragged the last one off the train, she straightened up and looked around at the soldiers milling around the platform. She noticed her uncle standing a little further away with First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc. Brushing off her jacket, she approached and saluted.

"Good afternoon, sir," she greeted formally.

He nodded. "Good afternoon, Sergeant. Where's the leader?"

Ash led the three toward the man with the automail arm, who was looking forlorn and defeated.

"I told you not to take any lives, Bald," her uncle said solemnly. He then smirked before continuing. "And it looks like you did just as you were told."

"So, I take it that you're Mustang?"

It all happened quickly, then. There was the quick and distinctive sound of a blade slicing rope, and Bald was leaping into the air, a hidden blade in his broken automail shining in the station lights. His target: Ash's uncle. With difficulty, the young girl repressed the urge to jump in the way, watching as he stopped Hawkeye from drawing her gun and raised his right hand to snap his fingers. His alchemy then engulfed Bald in flames, leaving the terrorist topless, charred, and completely stationary.

"I controlled myself. The damage to your skin isn't nearly as bad as it feels," her uncle started. "You can call me Roy Mustang, or even just Lieutenant Colonel." He laughed once. "Hell, you can even call me the Flame Alchemist. But whatever you do, remember the pain."

Edward's voice rang out. "You knew! That's why you made Al and me get on this train! You put us at risk on purpose!"

Roy glanced over at the young blond, a slightly amused expression on his face. "Come on, Ed. Do you really think I've got the whole world on strings? Besides, you should be focusing on the good news. The General heard of your assistance in rescuing the people on the train and agreed to make an exception. You get to take the State Alchemy exam. You're going to be the talk of the military, kid."

"'Exception'…?" he echoed, glancing over at Ash. She met his gaze, and his eyes grew wide for an instant, as if he were remembering and truly understanding her words on the train. He then turned his gaze to her uncle and pointed an accusing finger at him. "But you always said we could take it! That's the reason we came!"

"Don't be ridiculous. The state's never let a kid take a military exam. But, I guess luck's on your side. Good thing you took the earlier train, huh?"

Edward sighed and rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. Ash frowned slightly. She had always known that when it came to affairs of the military, her uncle was unnaturally serious, and even a little cunning. But she had yet to see him act _this _manipulating…and with a kid her own age, no less! Her uncle approached the blond, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"But whether or not you take the exam is still up to you," Roy told Edward. "After all, I'm not trying to run your life." He then glanced back and nodded for her, Hawkeye, and Havoc to follow. They began heading towards Central Command.

"Of course I'll take it!" the blond called out from behind. "And I'll pass! I would've done it, anyway!"

"Uncle…" Ash murmured. "Wasn't this all a little…much? Even for you? I mean, he's only the same age as me…"

"You should know better than anyone that it's difficult to obtain a State License at such a young age. I was doing what I felt was necessary to help him win a little favor among the higher ups."

"Then you must see something in him," Ash replied coolly, trying not to appear wounded by the fact that he had helped a stranger more than his own kin. She of course knew that it wouldn't be wise for him to play favorites with her, though, seeing as he had many enemies within the military for achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel even though he was only in his late twenties.

"He lost something very important to him, and he needs to be a part of the military to help him retrieve it," was the only reply.

Ash glanced back at the blond and his armored brother, remembering Edward's automail arm. She glanced down at her own, wondering if maybe they were more similar than she had initially believed.


End file.
